LensVid has posted an excellent infographic showing how truly bad 2013 was for the camera industry. At its worst, there was a 40% drop in total camera sales between 2012 and 2013. That included a 19% drop in DSLR shipments.

A few points are brought up about why the numbers were less than stellar in 2013. The first being the use of smartphones over compact cameras, we’re beating a dead horse with that one. The second reason being the economic stability of the planet, we’re still not totally out of the woods in a lot of places around the globe. The third, and the most interesting is North America’s aversion to the mirrorless market. Until people in the United States show they’re willing to spend on these systems, I don’t think we’ll see a huge advancement in technology or products. It’s a chicken and the egg thing, people keep saying make something worth buying, but every company is watching their R&D dollar and DSLR’s and lenses are still a safer bet for a return.